A/N: This is the first of eight one-shots for Chaubrey week. I'm one of the admins for this over on Tumblr and it's a really nice thing that everyone should check out. This collection will be entitled I Choose You, which comes from a Sara Bareilles song. Without further ado, here is part one. I hope you enjoy.

I am not scared of the elements
I am underprepared, but I am willing
And even better
I get to be the other half of you

I Choose You- Sara Bareilles

Theme 1: Baby-Chaubrey/Pre-Barden

Title: Tall Tales For Spring

"Aubrey, please? You know how much this would mean to my mom." Chloe smiled sadly, before shaking her head and reaching out for Aubrey's hand. "She's been talking about my prom all year and telling me all of these dumb stories about how she missed her own and how much she wanted to go. She even has a dress reserved over at Missy's in town. I know that you love to dance. So, could you please consider it? Don't make me beg."

"Prom is for couples, Chloe." Aubrey started hesitantly, biting her bottom lip as Chloe's eyes filled with tears and her cheeks flushed. "We're not a couple. You're my girlfriend and I would love to spend the night dancing with you, but we both know how our parents would react. I'm pretty sure that my dad's head would explode and your mom has been planning your wedding since you were five years old. I can't. Maybe someday we could tell them, but not over something like this."

"I'm not asking you to come out, Bree. We could just go as friends. No one would ever think that-"

"-That two girls going together isn't gay? Come on, Chloe. You know that we can't. It's not even with what our parents would say. It's how the other kids and the teachers and the school would react. The answer is no."

"You won't even consider it?" Chloe asked, blinking back her tears and standing up from Aubrey's bed, desperate to run away. "It's just an automatic no?"

"Chlo…please don't do this to me", Aubrey pled while playing with a loose string on her floral comforter. Her heart was aching and she wanted so badly to say yes and to see that smile, but she knew better. This couldn't happen. "Don't go to prom. Ignore your mom and go out with me. We can see a movie or get dinner or just drive around. You don't have to do this for her."

"Just like you don't have to do this for me? I can't…" Chloe trailed off, the bubble of emotion popping in her chest and fighting to make its way out as a whimper or a sob. She hated getting like this, especially in front of Aubrey.

"You can't what?" Aubrey whispered, staring down at her bedspread and preparing herself for the words that she knew were coming. The words that she had prepared herself for since their first kiss. The ones that kept her from giddily dancing around her room after their first date. From collapsing into a heap after their first time.

She was ready. Posen's were always prepared.

"I can't do this with you anymore. I love you and I always will, but we both know that we're not good for each other. We could never be open and I can't be in a relationship like that." She wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand and gave Aubrey a tiny smile before heading for the door. She wanted desperately to take her words back, but she knew that they were permanent. That they could never last. That it was inevitable with families like theirs.

"Good night, Bree."

And as Chloe slipped from her room and down the corridor, running down the steps and slamming the front door behind her, Aubrey felt her heart finally break into pieces. She had been prepared, but in reality nothing could prepare her for the way that she felt right now. Like her heart had been removed from her chest and acid had been poured into her stomach. Like she could never move on from this moment, reliving those final words over and over as the sun slowly set and moonlight poured into her room. And finally, before she drifted off to sleep with wet cheeks and aching eyes, she said the words that she should have said hours ago.

"Please don't give up on me."

Chloe didn't actually want to go to prom. While it had been nice to think about from time to time, it was never something that she dreamt of. Sure, she loved dressing up and the idea of a frilly dress and corsage made her smile, but it wasn't something that she needed to do. She could have the optimum high school experience without crowding into the local banquet hall with the rest of her classmates and slow dancing to awful music. She just couldn't say no to her mom, not after everything she had been through over the past two years.

If she had said no, her mother would know that something was up. She just couldn't understand how a sixteen year old couldn't be excited at the prospect of prom and when Chloe had at first seemed disinterested, her mother had panicked. Her oldest child could not skip out on prom. She wanted the pictures with the handsome boy and the limo and the dress that would bring tears to her eyes when Chloe slipped it on. Most of all though, she just wanted some normalcy and she wanted Chloe to be happy. And in the haze of being a mother, she couldn't understand how her happiness didn't go hand in hand with prom.

So, Chloe did what any good child would do and pasted on a smile while telling her mother that yes, she was going to prom. While she had left out the little part that it would be with her secret girlfriend of two years, it wasn't a total lie and the look of utter bliss on her mother's face made her stomach flop. The feeling didn't go away until Aubrey turned her down and then it turned into a sinking feeling that didn't go away no matter how hard she tried. She never thought that she would lose Aubrey over something so stupid, but it had happened and she hated herself for it.

She asked out Tom, who she knew was in the same situation that she was in. He was one of her closest friends and they had dated for a little while back in middle school, but they broken it off when Tom talked more about boys then she did. They had remained close though and neither of them had come out to their parents yet. Tom was being raised by a single-mother as well and they had bonded over how completely clueless they could be sometimes. And so, they both took one for the team and agreed to be each other's beard, charming their mothers while posing for cheesy photographs and acting like an adorable couple.

She knew that Aubrey would hate it, but she had no choice. Aubrey was less than fond of Tom, calling him "as dumb as a bag of rocks" and ignoring him at lunch when he would occasionally join them at their table. She couldn't understand how Chloe could be so enamored with someone so dumb, but Chloe simply shrugged and suggested that maybe Tom was just like them. Aubrey couldn't stand that logic though and screwed up her face in a scowl, focusing on her meticulously packed lunch while Tom and Chloe would talk about whatever random thoughts invaded the dunce's mind.

Tom had been so great through the whole process, accompanying her on the trip to Missy's with her mother and simply smiling when Chloe's mom suggested that he wear a pink vest under his suit jacket to match Chloe's. He agree without protest, even though he knew all of the jocks at school would call him a fag or whatever new insult they cooked up, and told Chloe she looked beautiful with each new one she tried on. He had even picked out the perfect corsage and taken her to her hair appointment and had just been great through the whole thing. They both had other people that they would rather be spending the evening with, but this was the card that fate had dealt them and they just needed to suck it up and deal with it.

Even if it broke both of their hearts in the process.

Prom night finally came and Aubrey was doing her best to keep her mind off of it. She had laid in her bed until three in the afternoon, avoiding getting up and facing the sight of the house across the street that would undoubtedly be full of life and excitement. She could just picture Mrs. Beale rushing around with her giant, ancient camera and forcing Chloe to pose with Tom all over the house. Kissing Chloe's cheek and giving Tom a hard time before wishing them a good time and wiping a tear from her eyes as she shuffled back into the house. It was easier to just ignore it, hiding out in her lair until she heard the too loud engine of Tom's second hand Honda start up and drive down the street towards town.

It was only when she was sure that Chloe was gone that she rose from her bed and got dressed and decided that she needed some kind of distraction. While she could have headed downstairs and joined her father on the couch for a Braves game, she wasn't that big of a loser and decided to go out. And like any self-sufficient teenager with a car and a poor attitude, she headed to the Dairy Queen to grab a milkshake to drown her sorrows in.

There was a little league game in town and she sat in the parking lot, blasting old rock music on her car's stereo while she sucked up the chocolate ice cream and watched the kids play. It was decidedly different than how she had wanted to spend her evening, but it wasn't necessarily bad…just different. Or at least it was until the parade of limos started down main street, packed full of her classmates in their perfect dresses and neat, pressed suits. Smiling and waving with the windows down at the housewives and their husbands that had gathered to watch.

And then there was Chloe, sat next to Tom in his rusty old car, waving through the window and smiling a million dollar smile. Her hair was perfect and her dress looked like something a princess would wear, pink and poofy and gorgeous. Tom was next to her with his shit-eating grin plastered on his face and he looked great too. They were the perfect couple and Aubrey tried to ignore it as the tears filled her eyes and her ice cream suddenly tasted awful on her tongue.

She should have been in that car, beaming as the world fell in love with her girlfriend. Instead, she was slouched down in the front seat of her fancy Buick, slumming it in sweatpants and an old t-shirt and chugging down a milkshake. And as she tossed it out the window and headed for home, all she wanted to do was curl up on her bed and cry and just forget about it all.

And so she did while Chloe probably had the time of her life. Sometimes life sucked.

Tom smelt like cinnamon bubblegum and his arms were warm, but not tender, around her bare back. His suit was crisp against her cheek as she leaned against his chest and his hand was pressing against the small of her back, pulling her close as they swayed to the slow jam being pumped through the speakers.

His dancing was methodical; a cadence of numbers playing in his head as he carefully moved his feet, careful not to tread on her perfect shoes. His big sister, home from college and smirking, had taught him the night before how to slow dance with a girl and he felt like a fool. Bumping his chin against her forehead as he tried to dip her and mumbling apologies when he squeezed her hand too hard. He was nervous and it was showing. He just really wanted her to be happy.

He smelt like Old Spice and Chloe sighed as she leaned into his shoulder and blinked back tears. He smells like Dad. Don't do this here.

He felt her tremble in her arms and pulled back, smiling down at her and touching her face. When she didn't look up, he traced his fingers down her arm and rested them on her elbow, squeezing it gently before picking up her hand and kissing it.

"Are you okay?" He whispered as he placed tiny kisses on each knuckle. "Do you want to sit down for a while? We don't have to dance if you don't want to."

Chloe smiled and looked up, blinking back tears as she stared into his caring brown eyes. He was such a sweetheart and he had been nothing but nice to her the whole evening. He was a great friend, but he wasn't Aubrey. Not even close.

"I'm okay", she murmured while running a thumb over his chin and rubbing off a tiny patch of forgotten shaving cream. "Are you having a good time?"

"Not really." He admitted while gazing into her eyes and trying not to laugh. They both knew what this was about. She would rather be with Aubrey and he would rather be with Teddy, the captain of the tennis team. "Mom will be pleased when she sees the pictures, though. She really likes you."

"She's in denial. So is my mom." Chloe shrugged and straightened his tie before leaning back against him and starting to sway again. "She doesn't understand."

"I understand." Tom breathed against her ear and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. He ran a hand through her locks and stopped when his fingers hit the chain that was around her neck. Pulling back, he picked up the tiny necklace and examined it, running his thumb over the stone and placing it back against her chest. "It's blue, like your eyes."

He was definitely not like Aubrey.

"It's aquamarine." Aubrey announced as she pulled the necklace off of the small stand. It was draped over the earring rack, between smiley face studs and gaudy hoop earrings, out of place and teetering on dropping to the floor. "It's March's birthstone. You were born in June, right?"

She examined the gem and shrugged while sinking onto the bed next to Chloe, whose face was buried into her physics textbook as she struggled through her homework. She threaded the chain through her fingers and sighed as she flopped backwards onto the bed with a sigh.

"Chloe!" Aubrey exclaimed while rolling her eyes. "I asked you a question."

"Yeah, I was born in June." Chloe mumbled through the pencil that was shoved between her teeth. It was a comfort thing and she truly believed that it aided in her thought process. "June 19th. Why?"

She looked up at Aubrey and paled when she saw the necklace in her hands, reaching out for it and snatching it away from her. Aubrey's mouth dropped open as Chloe squeezed it for a moment and then placed it in her top drawer, under her underwear and in a secret case that held the spare key to her mother's liquor cabinet and some cigarettes.

"Jeez…I was just looking!"

"No one is allowed to touch it." Chloe spat out, standoffish and anxious as she ran her fingers over the knob on the front of the drawer. "It's…it's just really important."

"It's not even the right birthstone. Yours is crystal, which is definitely not bl-"

"-My dad gave it to my mom."

"Oh." Aubrey sat up, her face pale as she watched her best friend blink back tears and look away. "I'm sorry, I…I didn't know."

Chloe smiled gently and took the necklace out of the box, holding it in her palm as she sat down next to Aubrey. She showed her the necklace and ran a finger over the stone as she tried not to get emotional. The comforting hand that Aubrey placed on her shoulder wasn't helping at all though.

"He bought it for my mom when they were dating. Her birthday is in December and he didn't know that there are a few months with blue birthstones. March is aquamarine and December is…"

"Blue zircon", Aubrey whispered while reaching out to hold Chloe's hand, threading their fingers as they squeezed the necklace and kept it safe. "Why didn't he ask someone at the jewelry store?"

"He didn't like to ask people for help. He was really stubborn."

"Now I know where you got it from!"

"Hey!" Chloe exclaimed while shoving Aubrey playfully. "That's a low blow, Posen. Anyway, he picked this one out and when my mom told him that it was the wrong color, he made up some dumb excuse and told her that he just picked it because it matched her eyes. She wore it until the day he died."

Chloe looked away, her eyes filling with tears and the breath catching in her throat. She hated this.

Aubrey didn't shy away as her friend cried. She just reached out and rubbed her back, whispering to her softly as she tried to keep breathing and to calm down. He had been gone for two years, but sometimes it felt like yesterday and the ache would return to take over her whole body.

It was awful.

Aubrey wasn't allowed at the funeral. Her father refused to let her go, telling her that she needed to let them breathe and give them some space to grieve. That Chloe should be with her family during a time like this. That a funeral home was no place for children.

She had sulked and stomped her feet and yelled, but there was so swaying her father and so she spent the day lying on her bed and staring out her window at the empty house across the street. The house that was usually packed and full of life was in mourning and she wasn't invited. It hurt and she wanted so badly to be there. To hug her friend and tell her it was okay. Fourteen was not too young for this.

So, when the knock came at her front door at half past five, she didn't think anything of it. She laid in her bed and sulked until her father's booming voice told her to come downstairs. Now.

She ran as fast as her legs could take her and nearly toppled over when she saw Chloe standing in the doorway, her hair disheveled and her eyes bright red from crying. Her father was wordless as he placed a hand on her back and pushed her forward, moving her towards her best friend and shaking her from her reverie.

"What are you doing here?" Aubrey whispered, afraid of making Chloe cry as the tears started to fill her eyes again. "I thought that you'd be at…" She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the word 'funeral'. That would make it real and she didn't want to hurt her. She couldn't hurt her.

"I…c-couldn't." The tears ran from Chloe's eyes and her lip quivered as she fought her body from collapsing into sobs. "We got to the graveyard and I just…I ran. Could I stay here for a little while? I can't go home."

Aubrey looked up at her father and felt her mouth fall open as he wordlessly nodded and gave Chloe a tight smile. He left the girls alone and walked into the kitchen, telling his wife to set another place at the table for their guest. Dad is never nice to Chloe. He thinks she's annoying and a brat. Why is he letting her stay?

She shook the thoughts from her head and pulled Chloe in for a hug, running her fingers through her messy waves and whispering apologies as she guided her away from the door and into the house. As they stepped into the living room, her father left the kitchen and stopped them with a raise of his hand.

"Watch TV for a little while. Dinner will be ready in a half hour."

"Thank you, Mr. Posen." Chloe mumbled while leaving Aubrey's arms and walking into the living room, leaving her friend alone to face her father.

"Dad?" Aubrey began, blushing as he stiffened and glared down at her. "You never let us watch TV before our homework is done. Are you sure?"

"Aubrey", he sighed while trying not to roll his eyes, "just go and watch TV. We'll talk later."

But the talk never came. Her father didn't say another word all evening, staring into his pot roast as his wife and Aubrey tried desperately to move the dinner conversation along as Chloe sat in silence, her eyes brimming with tears. The only words she managed to say came when Mrs. Posen took her plate away and asked her if she was feeling okay.

"Pot roast was my dad's favorite, Mrs. Posen."

Her father left the dining room at that moment and Aubrey bit her lip as she tried not to cry. Her mother was fighting it too and patted Chloe's quivering shoulder before taking the dirty dishes into the kitchen. Moments later, her father returned with two heaping bowls of ice cream and left the room without another word.

She didn't see him for the rest of the night. Not when they watched Chloe's favorite movie, Beauty and the Beast, or when they drank hot chocolate with tons of marshmallows or when a commercial for dog food sent Chloe into hysterics. Dad loved Sammy so much. Who's going to walk him in the morning or take him for jogs?

She didn't see her father until he crept into the darkened den and asked Chloe to come with him for a minute, taking her into his office just off of the living room. When Chloe came back, her eyes were filled with fresh tears and Aubrey pretended to be asleep, not wanting to push her friend any further. She never asked Chloe what had been said, but she had an idea. Her father had lost his dad at a young age and maybe he was just trying to make Chloe not feel so alone. Maybe he wasn't completely terrible.

Maybe.

"She gave it to me the day after we buried him. At breakfast, it was sitting in front of my plate and mom just smiled at me. I thought that she was upset with me for running away, but she wasn't." Chloe looked down at the necklace in her hands and smiled warmly, remembering how her father used to tease her mother endlessly about how much she loved it. "I miss him."

"I do too." Aubrey whispered while rubbing Chloe's back and moving a little closer to her on the edge of the twin bed.

She didn't know Andrew Beale well, but Aubrey's words were as true as any words she had ever said. His death had changed her best friend and she missed him desperately. She missed him for the smile that used to easily decorate Chloe's face and the constant giggling as she made awful jokes and puns. She mourned for a stranger when Chloe cried when they watched It's A Wonderful Life and when Chloe's mom taught her how to drive and she ran over the Posen's mailbox.

Her heart ached for him because Chloe's did as well. She missed him because there was no other choice.

As Chloe moved her head slightly and pressed her lips against Aubrey's, her gasp muffled by Chloe's strawberry lip balm, she tried to imagine just how Mr. Beale would feel about this. Would he hate her? Would he be disappointed? Would he still love his daughter?

It was her first kiss. It was the nicest moment of her life so far. It was tinged with emotions and mourning and love. It was everything she had ever wanted.

Her father could not find out about this.

Boys II Men had just finished playing and Chloe pulled back, smiling sadly at Tom and combing his tousled hair with her fingers. She couldn't do this anymore and somehow he understood. She had been lost in thought since he placed the tiny gem back onto her chest and he knew that it was something that he couldn't possibly understand. She got like this sometimes and it was easier to just let her grieve than to push her.

He gave her a tiny smile in return and took her arm in his hand, clutching it gently while he pulled her off of the dance floor and to a quiet area where they could talk. She looked down at her feet while he simply stroked her arm and tried to comfort her. She didn't say a word as she shuffled back and forth in her fancy shoes and he knew that it was over. They had only gotten four dances in and didn't eat dinner yet, but he was okay with that. He just wanted her to be alright.

"Do you want to go home?" He softly asked while touching her chin and lifting it up to see her eyes. "I'm not having a good time, Chloe, and I know that you aren't either. Let me take you home."

"Thank you for taking me, Tom." She looked away for a moment, suddenly ashamed that she had fallen into her thoughts and couldn't get out. She hated when she got like this. Aubrey was the only one that could bring her out of it and she wasn't there. This had been a mistake.

"Let's go home."

They idled outside of the house for a little bit and Aubrey couldn't help but notice, having to turn the volume of her cheesy movie up until she couldn't stand it anymore and crept over to her window. She peeked through a slat in the blinds and paled when she saw that Chloe was home already. It was still early and if she was done at the dance by now, then something must have gone wrong. She couldn't care though. They weren't dating and Chloe didn't love her anymore. This wasn't her mess to clean up.

Still, she couldn't stop herself from sitting there and watching them. She knew she looked like a creep but that was just the way it was with Chloe. You couldn't keep your eyes off of her.

Down in the car, Tom turned the radio off and squeezed Chloe's hand while looking up at her darkened house. Her mother was having movie night with her little brother and sister and there was no way that she could sneak in without getting caught by her family that was gathered in the den. Still, she couldn't stay in the car any longer. She just wanted to go upstairs and cry herself out and just forget about everything.

"Do you want to go over to my place and hang out for a little while?" Tom asked softly while stroking his thumb over each of her fingers. "I don't want you be alone and I know that your mom probably has a million questions. My mom's not home and we could just watch a movie or something. We could even just drive around, if you want."

"That's really sweet, but I should go inside. I had a really nice time tonight, Tom. I just…I think I need to be alone for a little while." She gave him a tiny smile and leaned in, kissing his cheek and squeezing his hand before pulling away. "Thank you for taking my mind off of everything."

She got out of the car and lingered next to the open door for a few moments, listening to the crickets singing in the background as she peered at the house across the street and at the light on in Aubrey's room. She wanted nothing more than to walk across the street and knock on that door, waiting until Aubrey came down before planting a huge kiss on her lips and apologizing for everything. It could never happen though and that broke her heart even more.

"Call me if you need to talk, Chlo." Tom called out before she closed the door and leaned into the open window with a smile. "And I hope that you two work this stuff out. You love her and a dumb dance isn't worth throwing it all away over. Good night, Beale."

"Good night, Tom."

All it took was one glimpse of Chloe swiping the tears out of her eyes as she walked into the house and Aubrey was gone, storming past her snoozing father and out the front door as she headed across the street. She didn't care that they were broken up or that it was dark out. All that mattered was that Chloe was crying and no girl, no matter how infuriating she was sometimes, dressed like that should have their night end with a whimper.

She hid in the bushes for a few minutes until she saw the light in Chloe's room turn on and sprung into action. She grabbed the ladder that used to hang from Chloe's window, placed their conveniently by Mrs. Beale who didn't want Aubrey knocking on the door at all hours of the day, from underneath the porch and gently placed it against the vinyl siding of the house. Once she was sure that it was secure, she held her breath and slowly started to climb up the rungs and to the top where Chloe was to be found. And if she was lucky, she would open the window and let her in.

Thankfully the window wasn't locked and Aubrey slowly eased it open, biting her lip as she climbed inside and found herself face to face with a crying Chloe Beale. She was still in her dress, but she was falling apart. Her hair was down from its perfect bun and her makeup was smeared on her cheeks. She was still perfect though and Aubrey couldn't stop herself as she surged three steps forward and pressed her lips to Chloe's, muffling the tiny gasp she made as she wrapped her arms around the girl and held her close.

This was how her evening was supposed to end.

"You have to understand, Chloe. My dad…" Aubrey trailed off as she gently wiped the smeared mascara off of Chloe's cheeks and held her breath. She couldn't talk about her father without getting emotional and right now, all she cared about was Chloe.

"I get it, Bree." Chloe sniffled and reached up to remove Aubrey's hand, more content to clutch it in hers and let her tears roll freely. She was tired of holding everything in. "My mom doesn't know either and if she did, I don't know what would happen... "

She looked down at her feet for a moment, unable to continue as the scenarios started to run through her head. Of her mother's face filled with disappointment and embarrassment. Of the door being slammed in her face as her mother kicked her out. It was all too much to bear.

"Chlo, don't think about it. It's okay. She doesn't suspect anything and I'm here and we're okay now. You have me."

"Can you just…please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone tonight."

They made for a mismatched pair as they laid on Chloe's tiny twin bed, Aubrey in her pajamas and Chloe in her fancy gown. Somehow though, it made perfect sense and neither girl moved for the longest time. They had missed the comfort of each other's arms and they just wanted to savor this one moment for a little while longer.

Aubrey wanted to remember every detail, committing it to her memory so she could remember later on just how much she loved that girl. To remember the tiny things that she adored so a fight or a disagreement didn't end in them falling apart. The smell of her perfume, the rough fabric of the dress against her arms as she held her, the soft breaths against her neck. A thousand perfect memories that she never wanted to forget. How it felt at seventeen to be so in love that she thought her heart would burst open. In a moment where everything felt right. She never wanted it to end.

She couldn't stand the silence though and the one question biting at her lips, desperate to be vocalized in the dim of the room. Sometimes she was her own worst enemy, but life wasn't perfect and moments like that weren't meant to last forever.

"So, how awful was Tom's dancing tonight?" Aubrey teased against Chloe's ear, her warm breath nipping at her lobe and sending shivers down Chloe's spine as her body shook from her silent laughter.

"Oh my God, Bree! Do you have to?" Chloe pulled away from her and shoved her gently while dissolving into laughter as well. "He's a nice guy, okay!? He can't help it that he's not the brightest and he did fine. He only stepped on my toes a few times and he was just really nice. I'm more concerned with the fact that he didn't dip me. That's what you're supposed to do when you're dancing with a pretty girl. I'm kind of disappointed."

Aubrey simply smiled and placed a tiny kiss on the top of Chloe's head before standing up from the bed and approaching the record player that Chloe rarely used. She flipped through the crate of records underneath the turntable before finding the perfect one and sliding it from its sleeve and onto the player. She placed the needle on the vinyl and turned the volume up slowly, letting the crackling music spill through the speakers and into the moonlit room.

It was the perfect song to dance to, in Aubrey's opinion. She wasn't a fan of The Beatles, but Something was a great song. It was perfectly fine to dance to a song playing from a stereo or a computer, but there was something eloquently romantic about the crack of dust on vinyl and the distortion of age that was the key feature of a record player. It was the perfect ending to an imperfect evening and as Aubrey offered her hand to Chloe, there was no way that she could say no.

And under the crack of moonlight that streamed through the blinds, shining on the girls as they were lost in their perfect world without judgment or parents, they had one perfect dance. The way that prom was supposed to be, in a tiny bedroom with boy band posters on the wall and teddy bears on a bed. A moment just for them.

And Aubrey didn't forget to dip her at the end of the song. Kissing her lips and whispering "I love you" as static filled the air.

And everything was okay.